EPA touts purity of domestic tap water,

By Meggie Lu / STAFF REPORTER

Water is the best beverage to quench one’s thirst, and drinking water helps the environment by reducing the amount of wasteful packaging used for bottled drinks, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday.

“Bottled drinks often contain lots of sugar, food coloring, artificial flavors and preservatives, not to mention that their packaging is not environmentally friendly,” the EPA’s director-general of the department of environmental sanitation and toxic substance management, Yuan Shaw-ying (袁紹英), said.

In order to increase the public’s confidence in domestic tap water, the administration evaluated the 300-plus water purification plants nationwide and yesterday lauded seven for their outstanding devotion to providing quality water to the public, Yuan said.

Saying that the administration inspects all water purification plants around the country for a total of more than 10,000 inspections a year, Yuan assured the public that 99 percent of the plants in Taiwan pass EPA standards for drinking water safety.

“The purification plants, including Taipei Water Department’s Chitan plant, and Taiwan Water Corporation’s Nanhua, Banhsin, Tunghsin, Shapodang, Shenkou, and Liyu Lake plants, were selected for recognition because of their exceptional managerial standards and customer service, transparent [online] water quality information to the public and stringent water quality control,” Yuan said.

The seven plants are scattered geographically around the country, covering Taipei City and County, Taichung and Miaoli cities, the greater Tainan region and Hualien City and County, providing drinking water to 7 million people, Yuan said, one-third of Taiwan’s population.

Saying that water in Taiwan can be consumed safely; Yuan encouraged the public to take their own water bottles when they go out, but also warned that tap water should be boiled before drinking.

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